# US 7,745,072 B2 · Method of correcting critical dimension in photomask and photomask having corrected critical dimension using the method

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- Number: US 7,745,072 B2
- Document ID: US7745072B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 11/808,588
- Filed: 2007-06-12
- Published: 2008-02-21
- Granted: 2010-06-29
- Earliest claimed: 2006-06-06
- Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Jin-sik Jung; Hee-bom Kim; Hoon Kim; Sung-min Huh
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7745072B2

## CPC

- G03F 1/72: Repair or correction of mask defects
- G03F: PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; (phototypographic composing devices B41B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; electrophotography, sensitive layers or processes therefor G03G)

## Abstract

Provided are a method of correcting a critical dimension (CD) in a photomask and a photomask having a corrected CD using the method. The method may include providing a substrate that is transparent with respect to an incident light, forming shielding patterns on the substrate to form a photomask, detecting a CD error region of the shielding patterns, and forming a correction film to vary an intensity of the incident light in the CD error region to correct critical dimensions (CDs) of circuit patterns formed by the shielding patterns.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of correcting a critical dimension (CD) in a photomask, the method comprising:
providing a substrate that is transparent with respect to an incident light;
forming a plurality of shielding patterns on the substrate to form the photomask;
detecting a CD error region of the shielding patterns; and
forming a correction film on the shielding patterns of the CD error region to vary an intensity of the incident light in the CD error region of the shielding patterns in order to correct non-uniformity of critical dimensions (CDs) of circuit patterns formed on a wafer using the shielding patterns;
wherein a topology of the correction film on the shielding patterns of the CD error region changes the incident light transmitted through the photomask to decrease the intensity of 0th-order light and to increase the intensity of 1st-order light.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the correction film is formed to a substantially uniform thickness on the entire surface of the CD error region.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the correction film has substantially the same line width as that of each shielding pattern.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate is a quartz substrate.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the correction film has a light absorption rate that is equal to or less than about 0.3.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the correction film is a silicon oxide film.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the correction film is a silicon nitride film.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein an amount of CD correction is determined according to a thickness of the correction film.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the correction film is less than 8000 Å.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the CD error region comprises:
forming the circuit patterns on the wafer using the shielding patterns;
measuring CDs of the circuit patterns; and
determining that a region of the photomask is a CD error region if the CDs of the circuit patterns formed from the region of the photomask deviate outside of a range for uniformity of CDs of the circuit patterns.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the range includes an average of the measured CDs of the circuit patterns.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the range is centered about an average of the measured CDs of the circuit patterns.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the circuit patterns are photoresist patterns.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the correction film is a film that is transparent with respect to the incident light.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the correction film has a light absorption rate that is equal to or less than about 0.3.

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the correction film is one of a silicon oxide film and a silicon nitride film.

### Claim 17 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein an amount of CD correction is determined according to a thickness of the correction film.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein forming the correction film includes depositing the correction film at least on the shielding patterns in the CD error region, and
adjusting the thickness of the correction film in the CD error region.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18, wherein adjusting the thickness of the correction film in the CD error region includes depositing an additional correction film on the correction film in the CD error region to increase the CDs of circuit patterns formed from the shielding patterns in the CD error region.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The method of claim 19, wherein depositing the additional correction film includes:
forming a resist pattern so the CD error region is exposed;
forming the additional correction film on the correction film in the exposed CD error region; and
removing the resist pattern.

### Claim 21 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18, wherein the adjusting the thickness of the correction film in the CD error region includes etching the correction film in the CD error region to decrease the CD of the circuit patterns in the CD error region.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The method of claim 21, wherein the etching of the correction film includes:
forming a resist pattern so that the shielding patterns in the CD error region are exposed;
selectively etching the correction film in the exposed CD error region; and
removing the resist pattern.

### Claim 23 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
adjusting a thickness of the correction film in the CD error region;
wherein forming the plurality of shielding patterns and forming the correction film are sequentially performed to form a photomask that includes a shielding film, a correction film, and a dummy shielding film on the transparent substrate.

### Claim 24 (depends on 23)

The method of claim 23, further comprising:
etching a portion of each of the dummy shielding film and the correction film; and
etching the shielding film by using the dummy shielding film as an etching mask to form the plurality of shielding patterns and a correction film pattern, and
removing the dummy shielding film.